French Montana has shared some memories of his late friend and fellow Coke Boy rapper Chinx, and believes he would be a Top 5 MC if he was still alive today.
Chinx (real name Lionel Pickens) was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Queens, New York, in 2015. He was 31. In the latest episode of WE tv’s Hip Hop Homicides, which aired on Thanksgiving Day Thursday (November 24), French recalled meeting Chinx for the first time.
“I met Chinx in Yonkers. He used to come around the studio; he was mad humble, quiet, [he] just used to sit there and observe,” French told host Van Lathan. “Then I started hearing his music and I’m like, ‘Oh, he got something.’”
“He had just come home from jail, he was trying to get into the music and he was serious,” French Montana added, before explaining what it was that made Chinx (formerly Chinx Drugs) standout. “He loved music — that’s what me and him had the most in common. Music was our therapy.
Praising his work ethic, French said Chinx “knew what it took” while explaining that he was very good at “switching his flows” and he “knew how to adapt.”
French then said he feels Chinx was actually a better rapper than him, before putting his friend among Hip Hop’s best. “He was 10x better than me,” he said. “Because he seen all my mistakes. He was like a better version. Man, if Chinx was alive, Chinx would be Top 5.”
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Two gunmen were arrested in the 2015 murder of Chinx. According to New York Police lieutenant Richard Rudolph, Quincy Homere and Jamar Hill allegedly killed Chinx over a dispute that arose while Chinx and Homere were both incarcerated at Rikers Island in 2009.
In December 2017, well over two years after Chinx’s death, Homere and Hill were arrested and charged with second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Next month will see the release of Chinx’s long-awaited posthumous project Chinx Drugz 6.
According to Billboard, the late rapper’s new mixtape is set to arrive on streaming services on December 2, just two days shy of what would’ve been his 39th birthday.
CD6 is set to feature a number of high-profile guests including Migos stars Quavo and Offset and Griselda’s Benny The Butcher, as well as Chinx’s brother JFK WAXX. It’ll serve as Chinx’s first posthumous project since 2016’s Legends Never Die.
December is gearing up to be a special month for Chinx fans as he’s also slated to make a guest appearance on French Montana’s upcoming mixtape Coke Boys 6: Money Heist Edition — the latest installment in the heralded series that helped fuel Chinx’s rise to stardom.
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